Cairn: Study in Silhouette

I wanted to try using the form of one of the two cairns, objects which I have studied and photographed many times now, to form an almost-silhouette against a midday sky. Normally I would shoot a scene like this at sunset or sunrise, but as I found myself on the moor at about 4pm, I decided to try shooting in more difficult conditions.

Smaller Cairn, Skipton Moor, #02

The focus is on the cairn in the bottom-right, its tantalisingly vague form creating an area for the viewer to study and question. This dark shape is surrounded by dramatic, swirling clouds, their forms, comparatively well-defined, standing in contrast to those of the rocks.

I’ve been focusing a lot on silhouettes recently, especially in architectural work, and I have been studying the use of light, especially a lack of it, and the effect that it can lend to an image. It’s a topic I may very well write a slightly longer post on soon enough.